Editing Sweden Democrats (section)

=== Moderation and growth (1995–2010) ===
[[File:Jimmie Åkesson inför partiledardebatt i SVT.jpg|thumb|[[Jimmie Åkesson]], interviewed before an SVT party-leader debate in 2014]]
In 1995, Klarström was replaced as SD chairman by [[Mikael Jansson (politician)|Mikael Jansson]], a former member of the [[Centre Party (Sweden)|Centre Party]]. Jansson strove to make the party more respectable and took a more direct stance against displays of extremism within its ranks. In 1995, the SD closed down its youth-wing and after skinheads started to impose on SD meetings, consuming alcohol at party events, displaying fascist imagery and the wearing of any kind of political uniform were formally banned in 1996. Also in 1996, it was revealed that a party spokeswoman [[Tina Hallgren]], had been to a party meeting of [[National Socialist Front]] posing in a Nazi uniform. Opposition to the party have mistakenly mixed these two events together and falsely claim that she was wearing the uniform at a rally of the Sweden Democrats and that it was because of this that the uniform ban came about.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.dagbladet.no/2010/09/12/magasinet/politikk/utenriks/sverige/sverigedemokraterna/13277818/ |title=Gikk med naziuniform, hakekors og brunskjorte |newspaper=Dagbladet |first=Astrid |last=Meland |date=12 September 2010 |access-date=29 October 2012 |archive-date=17 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017000901/http://www.dagbladet.no/2010/09/12/magasinet/politikk/utenriks/sverige/sverigedemokraterna/13277818/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=r108>Rydgren, 2006, p. 108.</ref><ref name=nrk /> During the early 1990s, the SD sought to become a more conventional party and became more influenced by the French [[National Rally]], as well as the [[Freedom Party of Austria]], the [[Danish People's Party]], German [[The Republicans (Germany)|The Republicans]] and Italian [[National Alliance (Italy)|National Alliance]].<ref name=r109 /> SD{{nbsp}}received economic support for the [[1998 Swedish general election|1998 election]] from the then called French National Front, and became active in [[Jean-Marie Le Pen]]'s [[Euronat]] from the same time.<ref name=nrk /><ref name=expo>{{Citation |url=http://www.expo.se/2010/sverigedemokraterna---fran-gatan-till-parlamentet_3279.html |title=Sverigedemokraterna – från gatan till parlamentet |publisher=Expo Idag |date=25 August 2010}}</ref> By the end of the decade, the party took further steps to moderate itself by distancing itself from all forms of fascist ideology, softening its policies on immigration and capital punishment and removing party figures deemed to be too radical or guilty of inappropriate behaviour.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fondapol.org/en/study/sweden-democrats-an-anti-immigration/ |title=“Sweden Democrats" : an anti-immigration vote |access-date=2025-02-28}}</ref> In 1999, the SD left Euronat although the youth wing remained affiliated until 2002.<ref name=expo /> In 2001, the most extreme faction was expelled from the party, leading to the formation of the more radical [[National Democrats (Sweden)|National Democrats]] which in turn resulted in many of the SD's remaining hardline members leaving for the new party.<ref name=r109>Rydgren, 2006, p. 109.</ref>

During the early 2000s, the so-called "Scania gang", also known as the "Gang of Four" or "Fantastic Four", which consisted of the youth wing chairman [[Jimmie Åkesson]], as well as [[Björn Söder]], [[Mattias Karlsson (politician)|Mattias Karlsson]] and [[Richard Jomshof]] continued and expanded the moderation policy, which included ousting openly extremist members, banning neo-Nazi activists from attending party events or obtaining membership, and further revising the SD's policy platform.<ref name=nrk>{{cite news|url=http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/verden/1.7304305|title=Fra kjelleren til Riksdagen|work=[[Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation]]|first=Laila Ø.|last=Bakken|date=25 September 2010|access-date=13 November 2010|archive-date=29 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100929184605/http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/verden/1.7304305|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Murray"/> Before the 2002 election, former [[Member of Parliament (Sweden)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for the [[Moderate Party]], [[Sten Christer Andersson|Sten Andersson]] defected to SD, citing that the party had gotten rid of its extreme-right elements.<ref name=expo /> In 2003, the party declared the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]] to be a cornerstone of its policies.<ref>Rydgren, 2006, p. 116.</ref> In 2005, Åkesson defeated Jansson in a leadership contest. Shortly after, the party changed its logo from the flaming torch to one featuring an ''[[Anemone hepatica]]'', reminiscent of the party's very first, but short-lived, logo (a stylised ''[[Myosotis scorpioides]]'').<ref name=sdhis>{{cite web|url=http://sverigedemokraterna.se/vart-parti/partiets-historik-i-kronologisk-ordning/ |work=Sweden Democrats |title=Partiets historik i kronologisk ordning |access-date=25 January 2011 |language=sv |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129031803/http://sverigedemokraterna.se/vart-parti/partiets-historik-i-kronologisk-ordning/ |archive-date=29 November 2010 }}</ref>